Social movements, organizing around the acceptance and rights of persons who might today identify as LGBT or queer, began as responses to centuries of persecution by church, state and medical authorities. Although the LGBT community and individuals remain targets for hate violence and backlash throughout the world, the hard work of activists and allies made it possible to reach this era, where the perpetrators of violence, not the victims, are condemned as sick. The immediate, caring response from mayors, police and FBI authorities, local and national politicians, and the President of the United States, who reached out to express outrage and concern, demonstrates the enormous shift toward acceptance and public support for the LGBT community. It occurred during what was LGBT Pride weekend for towns and cities in and beyond the United States. With at least 49 dead and another 50 injured, this hate crime is being called the worst mass shooting in U.S. On June 12, 2016, the popular gay dance club Pulse in Orlando was the site of a mass shooting by one assailant. A brief history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender social movements/Bonnie J.
